Archbishop Silvano Tomasi is the Permanent Observer of Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva. He recently spoke to delegates and representatives from various countries about the Church's charitable work in humanitarian zones.
SILVANO TOMASI
Permanent Observer to the UN (Geneva)
'The practice is well-documented. I'll give you some examples. This role of the Christian communities in responding to needs today is very concrete.'
During the presentation, Tomasi also showed data about the Church's work on five continents.
In the area of education, from kindergarten to university, the Catholic Church educates over 64 million young people.
In the area of health services, the Church runs over 5,000 hospitals; 16,000 dispensaries, and 600 leprosaria.
And regarding the area of social services, the Church operates over 15,000 homes for the elderly, almost 10,000 orphanages, 12,000 nurseries, and 14,000 marriage counseling centers.
Every day, there are new emergencies that are provoked by intolerance and a lack of dialogue, said Tomasi. They require a special response.
SILVANO TOMASI
Permanent Observer to the UN (Geneva)
'Now we have explosions of violence around the world that generate refugees, displaced people, people who are suffering from hunger because of lack of communication and therefore there is a need to respond.â?
According to data from the United Nations, there are currently more than 50 million refugees. For that reason, they've organized a meeting that will take place next year to explore and establish new ways to help displaced people.
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